I'd Watch My World Burn Just to See You Smile
by JediFighterPilot2727
Summary: So this is a fix it fic post 2x10. A realistic representation of how I think the writers should handle things. Some angst and a little fluff i guess! One shot for now but I might turn it into a slow burn multi-chap if I get good feedback! I wrote this in like, an hour, so be gentle lol
1. Chapter 1

The sound of light thump on her balcony startles Lena away from her late night paperwork, and her heart pounds in her chest, thinking it must be one of her mother's goons come to finish the job. She calms instantly though, when she sees the flash of red and blue.

Supergirl.

It's been a while since she's seen the hero. In fact she hasn't seen her or her alter ego since the night of the missile incident.

She's had this sinking feeling that she'd done something wrong, something to ruin their blossoming friendship; but she can't for the life of her think of what it might be. She'd done what Supergirl had asked, she had been her own hero. She'd saved the day.

As much good as that had done her.

She'd lost her only friend in National City.

But then maybe she hasn't, because Kara is here isn't she? Shoulders slumped as she leans over the balcony and looks out on National City.

Lena kicks off her heels and moves to the balcony door, taking a deep breath and steeling her shoulders before opening it, the cool breeze brushing her skin.

"When Ms. Grant was still in town, I used to go by her office like this. She'd let me sit and think, and then she'd offer some magic words of wisdom that would fix all of my all of my problems - or at least I'd feel better about them."

Lena moves to stand beside her, shoulders brushing as she braces herself on the railing.

"Cat Grant is on sabbatical."

"But you're here."

"And I'm a substitute for her? Advisor to Supergirl?"

"Substitute implies less than, and you're definitely not that. I just . . . needed a friend."

Kara has plenty of friends, so she isn't sure why she isn't with one of them, instead of here, with Lena; but the thought that Supergirl still think of her as a friend warms her heart.

"I know I'm no Cat Grant, but I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

Supergirl is silent for a long moment and Lena is beginning to think that she won't say anything when she finally speaks; her voice soft and fragile.

"My friends. . . they did something really stupid and dangerous and it could have gotten them killed." Kara turns to look at her and she's struck with how blue the other woman's eyes are.

"Kind of like you did with your mother." Kara's voice is resigned and she follows the statement with a sigh before looking out over the city.

Lena mulls over the words for a moment and realization strikes her.

"Is that why you haven't been by lately?"

"You put yourself in danger, Lena! You're a human! You can be killed! So easily! All of you can!"

Kara's fist clench around the railing of the balcony, and Lena is glad that she spent the extra money on the highest grade materials.

"Do you know how much I've lost?" The superhero's voice is cracked with tears and Lena resists the urge to reach out and touch her.

"I lost my whole planet. My family. My friends. And then I get to earth and I've even lost my cousin, because he's all grown up and doesn't need me-"

She shudders a sigh, and Lena doesn't resist this time, instead bringing a hand to Kara's shoulder. The silence of the night swallows them up and Kara's hand reaches up to cover hers.

"I just need you all to be safe. I don't need you to be heroes, I need you to be alive."

She studies Kara's profile, the almost ethereal beauty that's written in her features. She had every intention of staying silent, of just letting her friend vent, but the words come tumbling from her lips unbidden.

"Do you ever think that being around you is what brings out the hero in people? That we look at you and see all of the good in the world? That we can't help but want to be a little better ourselves? You bring out the best in us, Kara."

She doesn't notice the slip at first, but Kara jerks around to look at her, eyes wide.

"I'm not -"

"You flew here, on a bus." Lena reminds her gently, and Kara's smile turns sheepish.

"You're not mad?"

"I'm not. I'm hurt, that I save the world and then you decide not to speak to me for two weeks."

"I'm sorry." She can see the sincerity in those blue eyes, and it doesn't erase away the hurt she's felt, but it helps.

"I don't like seeing my friends put themselves at risk. I don't deal well. Humans are just so . . . fragile."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but we're kind of used to it. We're a lot more in touch with our mortality than you think. An we took care of ourselves long before superheroes. Don't get me wrong! We love having you here, but we can take care of ourselves. It should make you proud, that you inspire us to be so much more."

She watches as Kara's eyes trace her face.

"You were wrong," The superhero says after a moment. "That was definitely Cat Grant level advice."

Lena laughs at that, and even though Kara joins her, Lena can tell her heart isn't in it.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

Kara's shoulders fall, and she turns back out to the city.

"You know Mike?"

"The intern?"

"That's the one. Only now he's a bartender. Or- a superhero in training, I guess."

"A superhero?"

"It's a long story."

"So, Mike?"

She sees Kara take a deep breath and tug on the sleeves of her suit.

"He told me he liked me tonight."

Lena's feels her heart stop. She isn't sure if she's ready to give her crush love advice.

"And?" She prods gently anyway.

"He looked so crushed when I didn't say it back." Lena's heart starts pounding again. "And I just - I finally thought that I had a guy friend who wasn't secretly in love with me. And I'm just so tired. Of feeling like everyone expects me to feel something more. Like what I have to give isn't enough. First Winn and then James, and now Mike."

A ember ignites inside of her, at the thought of them loving Kara and then using it as an excuse to leave her alone like this. She would never pressure Kara to return her feelings.

Unrequited love is her burden to bear, not Kara's; and she would suffer through it for eternity if it meant protecting Kara from the pain that Lena can see written all over her face.

She makes a split second decision, one that she's sure will cause her sleepless nights, but one that she could never regret.

"You know what you need?"

Kara shakes her head forlornly.

"Comfort food. I know a place that serves the best potstickers."

Kara's brow crinkles in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure everywhere is closed this time of night."

"Well, this place is in Hong Kong, but I'm sure getting there won't be a problem." She raises an eyebrow and Kara grins.

"Up, up, and away?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Coffee for a Friend

 **So I got some awesome feedback on the first chapter, so I decided to turn this into a multi-chap slow burn. Mostly from Lena's POV but some from Kara's as the need arises! I have the basic plot planned out, and it should go up pretty quickly *knock on wood*. The anger I feel towards the Supergirl Writers' room is fueling me lol. i hope you guys enjoy! side note - this shouldn't impact Eyes Like Kryptonite too much I still plan on filling prompts pretty regularly!**

 **Any feedback is good feedback!**

"Ms. Luthor."

Jess' voice sounded through the intercom, startling Lena from her morning reports.

"Kara Danvers is on her way in to see you."

She barely had time get out a "Thank you, Jess" before Kara was bursting in the door, all smiles.

"Good morning, Kara." She stood from her chair, slightly caught off guard by the reporter's sudden arrival.

"Good morning, Lena."

She looked well rested for someone who had had a max of four hours of sleep the night before - although Lena supposed that alien physiology might be at least partly to blame for that. Her hair was pulled back in a half ponytail and her glasses were perched on the bridge of her nose. She was wearing a sleeveless dress that Lena tried not to pay much attention to, for her own sake.

"What brings you to L-Corp this morning?"

"Oh!" Kara jolts, like Lena's startled her, before stepping forward and passing Lena one of the cups of coffee she's holding.

"I brought you some coffee! Caramel macchiato, right?"

Lena nods and takes a sip, sighing as the warm liquid hits her tongue.

"Perfect, thank you."

Kara smiles in return, but she looks a little unsure of herself.

"Umm, I just - I wanted to thank you, for last night. I was having a really rough time and I showed up here with no warning after practically ignoring you for two weeks." Kara looks down at the floor, the hand that isn't holding her coffee coming up to adjust her glasses.

"I'm sorry for that, by the way, the uhh, the ignoring thing." She looks up then, blue eyes locking with Lena's. "It's no excuse, but I was so worried about you, with your mother's plan and I told them you were good, that you wouldn't help her-"

Lena felt a tension she didn't know she was holding release.

Kara had believed her.

Kara had full confidence in her desire to do good.

Kara had _defended_ her.

"-and then it looked like you were helping her, and the missile, and then I thought it was all over but it wasn't; because you-" She waved a hand helplessly, jaw quivering. "I know that I'm rambling, but what I'm trying to say, is thank you. Thank you for being you, and not giving into your mother. And I'm so sorry that I let my fear and insecurities get in the way of telling you sooner. I really hope that you'll let me make it up to you."

Her heart feels so full, because she can't remember a time that anyone's ever apologized to her for - well - anything, and that fact that Kara's here, now, in her office saying these things almost makes up for all the hurt she's felt in these past two weeks.

"And how exactly did you plan on making it up to me?" She can't stop the way her lips quirk upwards in a half smile.

"Well, I want to start by being a better friend, if that's something you're okay with it."

Lena almost sighs in relief.

"I'm more than okay with it; I think we could both use a good friend."

Kara smiles, and it's like Lena added a new window to her office with how much sunshine sparkles in it.

"Would you maybe want to have a movie night with me then?"

"Movie night?" She quirks an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just movies and dinner and popcorn and snacks at my place."

"Dinner, popcorn _and_ snacks? Are you having a party?" She teases and Kara blushes.

"Well, sometimes other people are there, but lately it's just been me." She can see the pain written on Kara's face and she resists the urge to question, instead asking -

"What do you need me to bring?"

"Oh! Nothing! Just yourself! And wine, if you want it, I think Alex drank the last bottle I had."

"Wine and myself it is then! What time should I be there?"

"Seven?"

"Sounds fantastic."

"You're coming?" Kara seems a little bit shocked and Lena laughs.

"This may come as a surprise, but I'm actually a bit of a movie buff."

"Really?" Kara's eyes crinkle at the edges, and Lena thinks it may be the cutest thing she's seen.

"Really."

"Any requests then?"

"Have you seen Star Wars?"

Kara looks embarrassed.

"Actually, I have not - despite the bajillion times Winn had tried to get me to."

"You're literally -" she lowers her voice to a whisper, "- an alien; and you've never seen Star Wars?!"

"Nope."

"That's it then, we're watching Star Wars tonight. I'll bring my box set."

"You have the box set?"

Lena nods.

"So you're even more of a geek than I thought! Do you have a pocket protector I can borrow?"

Lena pretends to look through her desk drawers.

"Nope, seems I'm all out, I should get another bulk shipment in on Friday if you can wait that long."

Kara snorts out a laugh, one that shakes her whole body and Lena can't help but giggle with her.

"Oh, about the umm alien thing. . ." Kara's voice is serious and Lena tries not to let it dampen her mood - she knows what this is about.

"Kara, I know I caught you off guard last night, and that wasn't my intention. I can go back to pretending like I'm unaware of your extra-curricular activities."

"No! That's not what I was trying to say! I just . . . wanted to apologize for not telling you sooner. It's not that I don't trust you; it's just - well Alex kind of freaks out when people find out I'm . . ." She lowers her voice. ". . .Supergirl. I'm glad that you know, it makes things easier, not having to hide it."

"I can't imagine having a secret that big. It must be hard to hide away a part of yourself like that."

"Friends make it easier."

"Friends." She repeats with a smile, one that Kara returns.

"Speaking of friends, I think I owe an apology to some of mine. I've been thinking about what you said last night, and I totally over reacted on James and Winn. They deserve my support and let's face it, their chances are better if I work with them instead of against them."

"They're lucky to have a friend like you."

"I'm lucky to have a friend like _you_." Kara beams, fidgeting with her glasses again. "I should go, but I'll see you tonight?"

"I'll be there." She promises, and Kara's gone with a wave and a smile.

Oh god, this girl was going to kill her.

Kara's heart is lighter than it has been in an long time as she flies towards the DEO.

She had forgotten how nice it felt just spend time with a friend and talk things out. No obligations, no pressure of anything more, just full and honest support. Lena had made her feel so much better about things, and she hadn't been lying about the potstickers either.

Her stomach grumbles at the thought of food, and she makes a mental note to stop for a snack on her way back to CatCo as she lands lightly through the DEO aerial entrance, startled but glad to see James and Winn huddled over one of the computers at the command center.

Looks like she was going to get to talk to them sooner than she thought.

"Hey guys."

They turn, faces guarded, and Winn gives her a small wave before they go back to what they were doing.

"Can we talk?" She tries again.

"Is there anything for us to talk about?" James' voice is laced with hurt and she winces.

"I need to apologize, actually."

They turn back toward her, Winn in his chair and James taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

"It wasn't cool that you guys lied to me about the guardian, and frankly I'm still a little upset; but I was talking to Lena last night - "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Winn holds up a hand. "Lena Luthor?!"

She gave him a pointed look before continuing.

" _Lena_ was saying how I should trust you guys to take care of yourselves and each other and that I shouldn't let my fear of you getting hurt ruin our friendship. Not when you're trying to do something so noble."

"That's actually really good advice." Winn observes, looking rightfully scolded.

"So I'm here to say that . . . I support you. And James, if you ever want to train in the Kryptonite room with me . . . I'd be honored."

"I'll take you up on that." He promises, before shooting a look at Winn. "And we're sorry we didn't tell you about Guardian. We shouldn't have let it go on as long as it did."

She can almost physically feel the weight being lifted off of her shoulders and she grins, spreading her arms wide.

"Hug it out?"

"Awww yeah! Super friends hugs!" Winn pumps his fist before gathering her and James up in a bear hug. "The troublesome trio is back in business, baby!"

"Troublesome trio?" James sounds skeptical, his chin knocking Kara's head as he speaks.

"Hey, I couldn't think of any good 't' words okay? Cut me a break, I'm not getting a lot of sleep."

"Aww, poor baby! Vigilante work keeping you up at night." Kara ruffles Winn's hair as she pushes them away, grinning.

"Hey! Hey! The hair! The hair!" Win bats her hand away and she laughs.

"Speaking of vigilante work, wanna help us out tonight?" James offers hopefully.

"I can't, I have plans."

"Plans?"

She starts walking backwards toward the entrance - she does _not_ want to have to get into her friendship with Lena with them; not when they've just patched things up.

"Yep! But tomorrow maybe?"

"Tomorrow! Definitely!" Winn shouts after her as she shoots towards the sky.

Things were definitely looking up.

 **Come fangirl with me on tumblr - JediFighterPilot2727**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lena heads to Kara's for movie night, little bit of fluff, little bit of plot development, lots of Lena being insecure and new to this whole 'friendship' thing.**

 **Comments and critiques are always welcome!**

Lena is beyond nervous.

It's just a movie.

Or at least, that's what she keeps telling herself.

But it's a movie with KARA. Who is officially her only friend in National City since she and Supergirl are technically the same person. And it's so rare for Lena to find someone who actually cares about her that she's loathe to do anything to jeopardize that.

What if she does the wrong thing? Or says the wrong thing? What if Kara hates the movie? She doesn't really know how that would be possible, because it's Star Wars - but it's a possibility.

One wrong move and Kara will hate her and then she won't have _any_ friends in National City. And she doesn't need people, she doesn't. She's spent her whole life teaching herself not to need other people.

But she think if this continues, she might grow to need Kara. That those blue eyes and that bright smile could quickly become a necessary part of her day.

Hell, she just saw Kara this morning and she already misses her.

It scares her to think about how much Kara is coming to mean to her. Kara is her _only_ friend, so that means she's also her _best_ friend, right? Lena hasn't had a best friend since boarding school and that had ended _so_ well - with Lillian and Lionel pulling her back to the states without any warning. Promises to call and write had left her with nothing. She hadn't seen or heard from Carrie in over ten years.

It scares her even more to think about how much it will hurt if Kara leaves. Everyone leaves, why should Kara be any different?

But it is different.

Kara is different.

Even so early on, she knows that Kara would never intentionally hurt her - that's just not who Kara is. So she allows herself to calm, smoothing down the front of her sweater and reaching up a hand to knock.

The door swings open before she can, Kara's smiling face in front of her.

"Lena!" Kara pulls her into a hug, and she stiffens for a moment but finally reaches out her free arm to hug Kara back. Her shampoo smells like mint, and Lena breathes it in, feeling herself calm even further at the feeling of Kara's arms around her. The hug is unexpected but not unwanted; and she's a little disappointed when Kara pulls away, gesturing for her to come inside.

"The food just got here, so you're right on time!"

She looks past Kara into the living room and sees no less than 3 large pizza boxes steaming on the coffee table.

"Are more of your friends coming?" She isn't sure whether the thought excites her terrifies her.

"Oh! Umm no -" Kara's hand reaches up to her face and it's then Lena notices she isn't wearing her glasses. It's a bit of shock, seeing Kara and Supergirl blend together so effortlessly.

"It's just us! I just eat a lot. You know, Kryptonian metabolism and all. But I got a couple of different toppings because I wasn't sure what you like. Vegetarian, ham and pineapple, and pepperoni."

"Ham and pineapple?"

"I know, I know, not everybody likes it, because pineapple is weird - but -"

"Ham and pineapple is my favorite."

"Really?! Because Alex hates it, and -" Kara leads her towards the couch, hands waving animatedly while she talks. Lena smiles as she follows, finding the whole scene utterly adorable. She feels it seeping into her bones, the warmth that comes from this friendship.

"- anyway, I'm rambling, what's in the bag?'

"Oh! Well first, we have this lovely red from Nappa Valley - " She reaches in and pulls out the bottle of wine to hand to Kara.

"And then we have sour patch kids, the greatest movie snack ever. After popcorn of course." She amends after seeing Kara's face of shock and the blonde nods agreeably.

"Then we have our movie - Rogue One."

Kara's brow crinkles in confusion.

"Isn't that the one that just came out?"

Lena nods and kicks her shoes off before making her way into tho kitchen in search of a wine glass.

"Wouldn't we want to watch the first one first?" Kara asks, following her.

"Hey, now, trust the Star Wars geek."

Kara throws up her hands and points to the cabinet with the glasses.

"Alright, alright. Fair enough. I put my Star Wars experience in your hands."

"Thank you." She rolls her eyes playfully. "Corkscrew?"

"Third drawer on the left."

She opens the indicated drawer and finds the corkscrew before skillfully popping the wine open. She pours herself a glass and then gestures with the wine bottle to the second glass she pulled out. Kara nods.

"It doesn't really affect me, but I rather like the taste. M'gann, she's got some stuff that will just get me completely wasted - I'm talking one shot and I cant even fly!"

"M'gann?" She passes Kara the glass and takes a sip of her own.

"Oh! She's a Martian! She has an alien bar over on the Westside."

"Martian!?" Lena splutters. "Alien bar?!"

"Ohhh, right, I guess you don't really know about - well M'gann, she's a Martian. A white Martian though, not a green Martian like my friend J'onn. She's really nice though! Her people, well they aren't so great, but M'gann is awesome. You'll have to meet her sometime, I'll take you to the bar!"

"Kara, I don't think -"

"Right, aliens. You're probably not comfortable - I mean, I shouldn't have assumed-"

"Kara." She waited until the blond stopped stuttering and looked at her before continuing. "I'm perfectly fine with aliens, I'm just not sure how they would feel about having a Luthor invade their space."

Kara's face clears with understanding.

"Aliens are more accepting than you think. They've spent most of their lives being outcasts, having to hide who they are. Not to mention most of them wouldn't be alive without you."

She feels herself relax.

"Then I think going out to the bar sounds fun."

"Great! you can meet everyone!"

Everyone.

Kara's friends.

Kara's family.

She tries not to feel overwhelmed at the though of something that hasn't even been set up yet.

"I look forward to it." She says, hoping her voice doesn't betray her nerves.

The pizza is delicious, and she makes a note of the restaurant for future reference. Kara talks nearly the entire time they eat, hands gesturing wildly as she speaks. Lena responds in kind, discussing work and current events - enjoying the way conversation flows easily between them.

Then the movie starts, popcorn and snacks spread out between them; all traces of pizza having been devoured by the seemingly ever hungry Kryptonian. Kara's full attention is on the screen in front of them and Lena forces herself not to spend too long looking at the way Kara's profile flickers in the light of the television.

She had put a lot of thought into which Star Wars movie they should watch first. No one's first experience with the great saga should be Phantom Menace, and A New Hope didn't seem like a great choice for first movie night either - considering the woman next to her had already watched a planet blow up.

Kara seems enthralled with this chapter though, pausing only momentarily for bathroom breaks and to refill the popcorn bowl that's somehow already empty. At one point, Kara curls into her side and she has to force herself to relax, because this is just how Kara is; touchy-feely and generous with hugs.

Still, she's grateful that this isn't her first time seeing the movie, otherwise she would be completely distracted by the way Kara's head comes to rest on her shoulder.

The film is over all too soon, and she pulls away regretfully.

"Alright, I'm hooked." Kara says, arms reaching above her head in a stretch. "Star Wars is awesome. Are they all this good?"

"Some are worse, some are better. This one is one of my favorites though."

"I can see why!"

She can see Kara' smile, even in the dark of the room and she grins back.

"Next week?"

"For the movie, I'm sure I'll see you again before then."

"I'm sure." She repeats softly in the darkness before groaning. "Why do people like to have meetings at 9am? I think a common courtesy of business should be no meetings until after 10."

"I'm so glad Snapper isn't a morning person."

"Yeah? Well I've hear the CEO of L-Corp is a real bitch so I better get going if I want to be on time tomorrow."

"I've heard that too! People say she's really hard to work with. Genius, but a bit of a prima donna."

She tosses the pillow between them at Kara's face, laughing when it smacks the blonde between the eyes.

"Text me when you get home?" Kara asks as Lena slips back into her shoes.

"Of course. Stay safe if you get called out to be a hero?"

"Of course." Kara promises.

They walk to the door and Kara pulls her into quick hug before letting her out into the hall with a wave and a shy smile.

Lena glances back after the door closes behind her, grinning as she thinks about how tonight is the most she's relaxed in ages. She was definitely going to enjoy being friends with Kara Danvers.

 **Come fangirl with me on Tumblr! JediFighterPilot2727**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sooo, sorry for the delay! I got distracted! This is a little Mon-El bashy, I just feel like someone needed to yell at him. Thought we needed a chance to see where Kara lands on the whole feelings thing! More plot development next chapter, I promise!**

Kara closes the door behind Lena and leans up against it with a sigh. She feels so . . . content. These past few weeks have been so . . . good. Weekly movie nights with Lena were a thing- They'd finished up the original trilogy of Star Wars tonight and were going to move on to what Lena called 'the dark ages of JarJar Binks' next week. She's felt Lena slowly relaxing around her, and the idea of it makes her heart sing.

She knows the other woman hasn't had a lot of experience with close friendships, and she was finally opening up to Kara - letting her hair down, figuratively and literally. The way she smiles at Kara . . .

No.

Lena is a friend. One of her best friends, and she isn't going to ruin that by thinking about the way Lena's smile makes her stomach flutter. Besides, she doesn't even know what that means. She isn't going to ruin a friendship based on a flutter.

Everything is going so well-

Crime is down, thanks to the combined efforts of Supergirl and The Guardian. Alex is happier than Kara has ever seen her - mostly thanks to Maggie, but also thanks to the efforts being put in to finding Jeremiah (they were _this_ close, Kara could feel it). Winn is over the moon to be working with two best friends, and Kara was pretty sure she had seen him making eyes at this cute alien girl at the bar last night.

Life is good.

Life is better than good.

She has a full heart, a full stomach-

Well, maybe she should go ahead and tear in to that leftover pizza.

She's just about to move to the fridge when she hears a knock on the door behind her. Thinking Lena must have forgotten something she throws it open, face falling when she sees Mon-El.

"Try not to look so happy to see me!" He laughs at his own joke and shoulders his way into the apartment. She's too thrown off to stop him, and he walks into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?"

He doesn't bother to answer her question, instead raising an eyebrow at the dirty dishes on the counter.

"Two wine glasses? Do you have company over?" Realization dawns on his face. "So that's why I saw Lena Luthor downstairs."

Her phone buzzes with a text on the table and Mon-El grabs it up.

"Passed Mike in the hall, just a heads up. Are you going to be ok?" He reads the text aloud, shaking his head.

"Sounds like she needs to mind her own business."

"Sounds like you need to mind yours!" She snaps, snatching her phone back.

"Hey, hey!" He holds his hands up in surrender. "No need to get testy! I just came to check on you!"

"At eleven o'clock at night?" She speeds a text back to Lena, letting her know she's alright.

"Well, you were with Lena Luthor just ten minutes ago, I don't really see the problem."

"The problem is that Lena was over as a friend, and I invited her here, unlike you."

He shrugs.

"We're friends. Isn't that what you said? You wanted to be 'just friends'?"

He used air quotes and Kara found herself hating Winn for teaching him that little nugget.

Suddenly, she's just so so tired.

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to let you know I got another job, they cut my hours at the bar since M'Gann is back so now I'm doing some side work as a bouncer at a club downtown. It's completely legit, nothing under the table at all."

He looks so proud of himself and she fights the urge to roll her eyes.

"Except when people are underage," He continues. "Then they pay me extra money to let them in. I don't think that's entirely legal. But, hey, I'm not gonna turn down twenty dollars! Stuff on earth is Expensive!"

She does roll her eyes at that, because of course Mon-El takes bribes -why should she expect any less?

"Congratulations on being a productive member of society." She deadpans before beginning to rinse off the dishes she and Lena had used. If she's going to be up, she might as well make it useful.

"Is that all you wanted? To tell me you got a job?"

"Well it was one of the things you have a problem with, right? I'm working on all of the obstacles to our relationship."

Suddenly it all makes sense.

This is not going to be fun.

She sets the dishes in the sink and turns to face him before speaking slowly.

"It doesn't matter what you do, I don't want to go out with you. I don't feel that way."

"There's someone else then."

"There's no one else!" she wants to scream. "I don't see you that way! I wanted to help you when you came to Earth, to help you help other people! But obviously you don't want that! And that's okay, but I don't want a relationship with you either! And we can't be friends until you learn to respect me."

"I respect you!"

"I haven't seen you in three weeks and you show up at my apartment in the middle of the night."

"Lena was at you apartment in the middle of the night." He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the counter.

"This-" She gestures between them. "Has nothing to do with Lena. It has everything to do with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be up early tomorrow."

He makes no move to leave and she grits her teeth.

"That was my nice way of asking you. Next time wont be so nice."

He does move then, staring at her with those sad puppy dog eyes that she's sure has woo'd many a lady.

But not today.

Not with her.

She opens the door and gestures him out, ignoring his pout.

"If you change your mind-"

"I won't."

She doesn't even wait for a response, and closes the door, locking the deadbolts and sinking against it.

She hates this.

The way things change when a friend wants to be something more.

At least James and Winn had been understanding when she had explained she didn't feel the same. It hadn't been fun, but it hadn't been like this.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she sees another text from Lena - a gif of a kitten in a coffee cup that makes her smile.

And this is why she can never explore the way Lena makes her heart stutter.

She's not about to lose another friend.

She sends back her own gif, this one of a cat eating pancakes.

As response comes a few seconds later.

"Did everything go alright with Mike?"

"He just left. Wanted to tell me about his new job."

"Odd time of night for that isn't it?"

"He's an odd guy."

"Lol."

Her fingers hover over the keys, debating her next text.

"How do you feel about going to the bar tomorrow? All the gang will be there!"

Three little dots appear.

And then disappear.

And then re-appear.

Finally a response pops up.

"I'd love to, what should I wear?"

 **Next chapter is the meet the friends/ bar chapter! We'll see how these two interact with the rest of the super gang!**

 **Also this chapter felt choppy and was a little different than I originally planned - could just feel that way because I've been away for so long but let me know!**


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